No fewer than 37 herdsmen and 5,000 cattle were on Thursday, 4th, arrested by the Ondo State Security outfit, codenamed Amotekun, for violating the quit notice of forest reserves by the state government.

They were dismissed from the government forest reserves located at Ala, Oda and Ofosu.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had issued a seven day quit notice to the herdsmen in the government forest reserves across the state.

Commander of the state Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye confirmed the arrest of the herders adding that other herdsmen have met with the Corps and had peacefully moved out of the state.

Adeleye said: “Some of them have opted to leave the state because they couldn’t meet with our terms and conditions.

“They came through the Chairman of Miyetti Allah in the state. Some opted to go to Osun, Edo and Kogi States.

“So our men escorted them to the boundaries of those states. We have to monitor their movements out of the state so that they would not destroy farms on their way out.

“About 37 herders have been arrested with about 5, 000 cows. The majority of the herders have been coming to us through their chairman and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Hausa Matters.